Freon™ MO99 Refrigerant (R-438A)

Frequently Asked Questions

Product Performance Where can I find the pressure/temperature (P/T) chart for Freon™ MO99? Is Freon™ MO99 flammable, due to the hydrocarbons in the blend composition? The Freon™ MO99 P/T chart and additional technical information is available at freon.com. In addition, there is a No. Freon™ MO99 has an A1 refrigerant safety free mobile “PT Calculator” app for Apple® and Android® classification designating nonflammability and low toxicity devices that contains P/T conversions and basic product under ASHRAE Standard 34. Freon™ MO99 has been information, as well as allows for easy calculation of proven to be a safe and reliable replacement for R-22 in subcooling and superheat. existing equipment in the U.S. and around the world.

Why does the P/T chart for Freon™ MO99 have two What is the difference in energy efficiency between R-22 columns of data? and Freon™ MO99? For any zeotropic blend, there is a saturated liquid Energy efficiencies for R-22 and Freon™ MO99 are very temperature (bubble point) and a saturated vapor similar over a range of conditions. More details can be temperature (dew point). When calculating superheats, found in the Freon™ MO99 product information bulletin. always use the saturated vapor temperature (dew point). What is the difference in capacity between R-22 and When calculating subcooling, always use the saturated Freon™ MO99? liquid temperature (bubble point). Capacity differences between R-22 and Freon™ MO99 will Can a system running on Freon™ MO99 be topped off with vary according to application. Typical capacity variation is more Freon™ MO99 if it leaks? 5-10% below R-22. Freon™ MO99 has been in use in Yes. Systems running with Freon™ MO99 can be topped off hundreds of thousands of successful retrofits with little to no repeatedly with Freon™ MO99, with no change in flammability impact on equipment performance or increased energy usage. rating or noticeable performance change. However, as when Most of the R-22 replacement refrigerants have lower maintaining and servicing any system, refrigerant leaks should capacity than R-22. Of all of the mineral oil compatible be located and repaired as soon as possible. products, Freon™ MO99 has the closest performance match.

What is the temperature glide of Freon™ MO99? Product Applications Can you use Freon™ MO99 in a dry charge system? Freon™ MO99 has a temperature glide of 7–8 °F. This is similar to other R-22 replacement refrigerants. Because all Given the similarities between Freon™ MO99 and R-22, zeotropic refrigerant blends have glide, the liquid and vapor field charging a dry shipped unit with Freon™ MO99 is a have slightly different compositions. As a result, when good option for eliminating ozone depleting substances charging a system, Freon™ MO99 should be removed from and managing the transition from R-22. OEM warranties the cylinder as a liquid. should be considered when looking at dry ship possibilities. Even with the newer POE-based dry charge units, Freon™ MO99 is a good option, because it is fully compatible with polyol ether (POE) lubricant as well. Freon™ MO99 Refrigerant

Can Freon™ MO99 be used in systems with capillary SNAP listed as an approved R-22 alternative by the U.S. tubes sized for R-22? EPA, nor is it produced to the specifications of Freon™ Yes. The mass flow rate and operating pressures of Freon™ MO99. The name of BMP438 is believed to be used to MO99 are the closest of all the mineral oil compatible confuse contractors and end users looking to purchase replacement products and will likely perform adequately in Freon™ MO99, which has an ASHRAE designation of an existing R-22 system with a capillary tube expansion R-438A and is SNAP listed. device. However, for optimal results, it is recommended to How much does Freon™ MO99 cost? replace the capillary tube with a TXV when possible. Please consult a Chemours authorized distributor for Does Freon™ MO99 work in heat pumps? specific pricing. Because Freon™ MO99 is an HFC blend, Yes. Freon™ MO99 can be used to retrofit R-22 heat pumps . and therefore not subject to phaseout like R-22, it is Based on system testing, similar efficiency and slightly lower reasonable to expect Freon™ MO99 to be priced lower than capacity can be expected. A slightly lower capacity may force R-22 and comparable to other R-22 replacement the compressor run time to increase. When in the heat pump refrigerants. As a result, Freon™ MO99 provides a quick, mode of operation, many systems use a capillary tube or fixed low cost retrofit solution that also helps end users delay orifice as an expansion device, so the charge size of Freon™ investment in new equipment. MO99 will need to be optimized to obtain the proper amount Are there supply restrictions or constraints on Freon™ of subcool/superheat. Follow retrofit guidelines available at MO99? Freon.com to ensure the system is not over- or under-charged. No. Freon™ MO99 is readily available nationwide for purchase Can Freon™ MO99 be used in flooded evaporators? through Chemours distributors. Please visit Freon.com and Like any zeotropic refrigerant blend, Freon™ MO99 is not click on the “where to buy” button for a distributor near you. recommended for use in flooded evaporators. We advise Is there a phaseout plan for Freon™ MO99 in air contacting the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for conditioning applications? guidance on conversions from R-22 in a flooded system. As of October 2016, there are no current or pending Can Freon™ MO99 be used in low and medium regulations to phase out Freon™ MO99 in air conditioning temperature refrigeration applications, in addition to air applications in the United States. For other countries, conditioning or heat pumps? please consult your local Chemours authorized distributor Yes. Freon™ MO99 works well in low and medium temperature or representative. refrigeration, as well as air conditioning or heat pumps. Retrofit Information Product Availability and Cost Does Chemours have retrofit guidelines for converting I used to use a product called ISCEON® MO99™. Is it the R-22 systems? same as Freon™ MO99? Yes. An “8 easy step” booklet, detailed retrofit guidelines, Yes. When DuPont spun off its Performance Chemicals and a brief R-22 retrofit video are available at Freon.com business unit in July 2015 into a separate company called under “8 Basic Steps to Retrofit from R-22”. Chemours, the decision was made to simplify the number of How many pounds of Freon™ MO99 need to be added refrigerant brand names used to identify our products. As a during a retrofit compared to R-22? result, all HCFC and HFC products have been re-branded with the Freon™ brand, but continue to be produced in the For most retrofits, the charge size required for Freon™ same quality manufacturing facilities that the industry has MO99 should be comparable to the charge size needed come to expect from the Freon™ brand under DuPont. with R-22. However, there could be some slight variations depending on system design and type of expansion device. I have heard of a product called “BMP438”. Is it the same When charging an R-22 system with any replacement as Freon™ MO99 (R-438A)? refrigerant, it is recommended to always start with No. BMP438 is a product manufactured and imported from approximately 10% lower charge of the new product, China that does not have an ASHRAE designation, nor is it check the system superheat or subcool, and then add the remaining refrigerant until the system is running as desired. Freon™ MO99 Refrigerant

Can R-22 be topped off with Freon™ MO99? What oils work with Freon™ MO99? No. Freon™ MO99 should not be used to top off R-22 Freon™ MO99 is compatible with both traditional and systems. Mixing refrigerants is not recommended. R-22 synthetic lubricants: mineral oil, alkyl-benzene (AB), and polyol should be recovered using appropriate equipment and ester (POE). managed according to U.S. EPA guidelines specified in Section 608 of the U.S. Clean Air Act. Can POE oil be introduced to the existing mineral oil and mixed safely? Does Chemours have a reclaim program for R-22? POE and mineral oil can be safely mixed in any proportion In the United States, Chemours does offer an R-22 reclaim and used with Freon™ MO99. In many R-22 systems, the program. The recovered R-22 is a valuable asset, for use in conversion to Freon™ MO99 can be made with no change servicing other equipment or by reclaiming back through an or addition of POE to the existing mineral oil. In cases with authorized dealer. More information is available on the difficult oil return, such as systems with a liquid receiver Chemours website under “U.S. Refrigerant Recovery & and no oil separator, or complex line sets, a small amount Reclaim Program” at Freon.com. For other countries, please (~20%) of POE added to the system can aid oil return. For contact your local Chemours authorized distributor or Trane® 3-D® and Danfoss SM scroll compressors, a single representative regarding reclaim options. oil change in the compressor oil sump from mineral oil to an OEM-approved POE lubricant is recommended. Multiple What happens if R-22 gets mixed into an installation of flushes of POE to remove all of the mineral oil are not Freon™ MO99 that is not properly labeled? required with Freon™ MO99. Consult detailed retrofit Mixing refrigerants is never recommended. However, based guidelines for additional details on system oil management on the similar operating conditions of Freon™ MO99 and and specific equipment, where a single or full oil change R-22, system damange would not be expected. At the next would be recommended. Note that this oil management available service opportunity, it would be advisable to guidance is not specific to Freon™ MO99 and would be recover and dispose of the mixed gas, and charge and label necessary when using any “no oil change” HFC blend with the system with either R-22 or Freon™ MO99. these compressors or system configurations.

What seals need to be changed when converting from Will using Freon™ MO99 void my equipment warranty? R-22 to Freon™ MO99? Freon™ MO99 has more OEM approvals than any other R-22 penetrates elastomeric seals more substantially than mineral oil compatible R-22 retrofit refrigerant. However, any HFC refrigerant, such as Freon™ MO99. When R-22 is not all OEMs approve R-22 retrofit refrigerants. For removed from a system, it off-gases and the elastomeric warranty questions, it is always recommended that the seals shrink and are not likely to return back to that size appropriate OEM be contacted. It is important to note that after charging the system with an HFC blend, leaving an in many cases, where retrofit refrigerants are used to delay opportunity for a leak. As part of a good R-22 retrofit future investment in new equipment, the warranty of the procedure, critical elastomeric seals (seals that cannot be R-22 equipment undergoing a retrofit has already expired. isolated when the system is operating) should be changed with ones that have not been used in R-22 service Product Comparison previously. Typically, the Schrader core and pin on the service How does Freon™ MO99 performance compare to valve should be replaced with a new one that has not been in R-407C in air conditioning applications? R-22 service. For larger, more complex systems, there may Freon™ MO99 and R-407C both match the performance be other elastomeric seals present. A brief training video can (energy efficiency and capacity) of R-22 well and are good be found on Freon.com that addresses this topic. replacements for many air conditioning applications. The main difference is that pure HFC fluids, like R-407C, When retrofitting or servicing an Freon™ MO99 system, require a complete change out of mineral oil to POE can you use the same gauges as used with R-22? lubricant for R-22/MO systems; whereas; Freon™ MO99 Yes. Freon™ MO99 and R-22 have very similar pressure was specifically formulated to be used without the need for characteristics, and, therefore, the same gauge sets can an oil change out, which saves time and money. be used. Freon™ MO99 Refrigerant

Why is a complete change out from mineral oil to POE were maintained, oil coating and fouling of heat exchanger lubricant required for R-407C, but not Freon™ MO99? surfaces can lead to significantly degraded heat transfer Freon™ MO99 is a specially formulated nonflammable and inadequate system capacity and poor energy blend that contains small amounts of hydrocarbons. The efficiency. For these reasons, most major compressor low levels of hydrocarbon have a high solubility in mineral manufacturers require removing >99% of the mineral oil oil, lowering viscosity and enabling efficient oil return from when converting to R-407C. cold evaporators. R-407C does not have this capability There are other “no oil change” products advertised; why and, therefore, requires change to a fully miscible oil, such is Freon™ MO99 the best? as POE, to ensure adequate oil return from the evaporator and piping to the compressor. While other products have been introduced with small amounts of hydrocarbons to help with mineral oil compatibility, What could happen if an oil change to POE was not done Freon™ MO99 (R-438A) is the best overall all performance when using R-407C? match (energy efficiency, capacity, operating pressures, and If R-407C is used without a full oil change to POE, there is mass flow rates) to R-22 in air conditioning applications. a possibility of inadequate oil return from the system back The table below summarizes the performance of Freon™ to the compressor, which could lead to lack of mechanical MO99 versus other replacements relative to R-22. lubrication, overheating, and potentially compressor failure. Additionally, even if adequate oil levels in the compressor

R-438A R-422D R-422B R-421A* R-424A R-125/134a/600a/ R-32/125/134a/600/601a R-125/134a/600a R-125/134a/600a R-125/134a 600/601a Blend 8.5/45/44.2/1.7/0.6 65.1/31.5/3.4 55/42/3 58/42 50.5/47/0.9/1.0/0.6 Genetron® 422D RS-44 Brand Name Freon™ MO99 Freon™ MO29 NU-22B® Choice™ Cool50 Capacity (%) -7 -8 -12 -12 -15 COP (%) -2 -4 -3 -5 -1 Suction Pressure (psi) -3 +1 -6 -7 -11 Discharge Pressure (psi) +5 +12 -5 -7 -17 Discharge Temperature (°F) -30 -39 -37 -36 -38 Temperature Glide (°F) +7 +5 +6 +6 +5.5 Mass Flow (%) +12 +32 +20 +21 +12

Performance relative to R-22; (+) is increase, (-) is decrease Calorimeter Data at AHRI Standard 540 air conditioning conditions 45 °F Average Evaporator Temp/115 °F Average Condenser Temp/65 °F Return Gas Temp/15 °F Subcool from Average Condenser Temp *POE Oil Change typically recommended for “HFC Only” Blends

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The information set forth herein is furnished free of charge and based on technical data that Chemours believes to be reliable. It is intended for use by persons having technical skill, at their own risk. Because conditions of use are outside our control, Chemours makes no warranties, expressed or implied, and assumes no liability in connection with any use of this information. Nothing herein is to be taken as a license to operate under, or a recommendation to infringe, any patents or patent applications. © 2016 The Chemours Company FC, LLC. Freon™ and any associated logos are trademarks or copyrights of The Chemours Company FC, LLC. Chemours™ and the Chemours Logo are trademarks of The Chemours Company. Genetron is a registered trademark of Honeywell; NU-22B is a registered trademark of Icor International; Choice is a registered trademark of RMS of Georgia. C-10846 (11/16)